In the construction of buildings, fabricated wall segments are sometimes built separately and erected on site and are sometimes built on site while coordinated with other aspects of building construction. Fabricated shear walls need to be connected not only to each other but also to underlying and overlying structural elements, such as floors and roofs.
With reference to FIG. 1, a building 10 comprising a plurality of wall sections 11 is schematically illustrated in cross-section. During an earthquake, like any other building structural elements, these wall segments are subject to various stresses. Wall segments 12 near building corners, in particular, are subjected to vertical stresses as the central portions of the wall act as a fulcrum. Because these vertical stresses are directed towards horizontal nailing that hold the structures together, corner wall segments 12 are typically referred to as shear walls 12.
In order to resist stresses to which shear walls 12 are subjected, hold-down devices are often provided to connect the vertical portions of a shear wall 12 to other adjacent building structural elements. While conventional hold-down devices, framing configurations and other connection hardware somewhat assist the ability of shear walls to resist seismic stresses, a need exists for further improvement.